The invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus, a recording and reproducing method, and a data processing apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus, a recording and reproducing method, and a data processing apparatus for performing a copy of data or an operation similar to the copy.
Hitherto, in association with the development of the digital technique, as well as a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or the like, there are many examples in which audio information or audio data is supplied as digital music data. As for the digital music data, the reproduction at a high sound quality can be relatively easily realized and a deterioration of the sound quality due to the recording to the recording medium hardly occurs. As compared with a case where the conventional analog audio signal has been recorded on the recording medium, a recording medium in which digital music data has been recorded has widely generally been spread because it is relatively small and light-weighted and the like.
On the other hand, as for the digital music data, since a deterioration of the sound quality due to a recording medium hardly occurs and a perfect copy can be easily performed and the like, there is a fear such that the copyright is threatened by a limitless copy or the like. Hitherto, as a countermeasure for protection of the copyright, a management by SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) has been performed with respect to the copy (dubbing) of digital music data including the copyright. In the management by the SCMS, a predetermined flag is provided for the digital music data and the copy as digital data is limited to, for example, one generation. The SCMS is used as a digital interface of a recording and reproducing apparatus or the like using a commercially available DAT (Digital Audio Tape) or a magnetooptical disc having a diameter of almost 64 mm.
However, the above SCMS has a problem such that since importance is fairly attached to the protection of the copyright, sharing performance of data is remarkably limited.
For example, even for the purpose of a personal use, the music data obtained by copying digital data can be never transferred from a recording medium on which digital data was copied to another recording medium and it is very inconvenient.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a recording system which can perform digital move and copy of digital music data to another recording medium while protecting the copyright.
According to the invention, to solve the above problem, there is provided a recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: a first storing unit in which at least one data has been stored; a second storing unit in which at least one data is recorded; and signal processing means to which the data read out from the first storing unit is supplied when the data read out from the first storing unit is stored into the second storing unit and which performs a deteriorating process of the supplied data and supplies resultant processed data to the second storing unit. According to the invention, there is also provided a recording and reproducing method whereby when the data read out from the first storing unit is stored into the second storing unit, a deteriorating process of the data is performed to the data read out from the first storing unit and resultant processed data is supplied to the second storing unit and written into the second storing unit.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: a first storing unit in which at least one data has been stored; a second storing unit in which at least one data is recorded; and control means to which the data read out from the first storing unit is supplied and in which when the data read out from the first storing unit is stored into the second storing unit, either one of an accounting process and a deteriorating process of the data supplied from the first storing unit is performed and resultant processed data is supplied to the second storing unit.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing method whereby when data read out from a first storing unit is stored into a second storing unit, either one of an accounting process and a deteriorating process of the data supplied from the first storing unit is performed and resultant processed data is supplied to the second storing unit.
According to the invention, there is provided a data processing apparatus comprising: a storing unit in which at least one data has been stored; and signal processing means to which the data read out from the storing unit is supplied when the data read out from the storing unit is stored when it is copied to another storing medium and which performs a deteriorating process of the supplied data and outputs the data obtained by performing the data deteriorating process as output data.
As mentioned above, according to the invention, when the data read out from the first storing unit in which at least one data has been stored is stored into the second storing unit in which at least one data has been stored, the deteriorating process is performed to the data read out from the first storing unit, so that the illegal use of the data read out from the first storing unit is prevented.
According to the invention disclosed in claims 25 and 16, when the data read out from the first storing unit in which at least one data has been stored is stored into the second storing unit in which at least one data has been stored, either one of the accounting process and the deteriorating process of the data read out from the first storing unit can be selected, so that it is possible to construct such that if the accounting process is performed, the data deteriorating process is not performed.
According to the invention disclosed in claim 19, when the data read out from the storing unit in which at least one data has been stored is stored when it is copied to another storing medium, since the deteriorating process is performed to the data read out from the storing unit and the resultant processed data is used as output data, the illegal use of the data that is read out from the storing unit and is outputted so as to be copied to another storing medium is prevented.